Spatio-temporal distribution of five species of West African leaf-litter frogs. pp. 21-29.

Abstract. The spatio-temporal distribution of five leaf-litter frog species, Phrynobatrachus ghanensis, P. phyllophilus, P. liberien sis, P. latifrons and P. tokba was studied in Banco National Park (BNP), Ivory Coast. Frogs were sampled in a standardized way along ten transects, representing all major habitat types of the park. With acoustic and visual methods we recorded a total of 394 P. ghanensis, 303 P. phyllophilus, 510 P. liberiensis, 1704 P. latifrons and 225 P. tokba. The five leaflitter frogs were widespread along the BNP transects, but showed clear differences concerning their habitat preferences. Only P. latifrons preferred more open habitats. All other species dominated in forested parts of BNP. All Phrynobatrachus species could be recorded throughout all seasons. The number of encountered specimens per species seemed to differ between seasons, however not statistically significant. Some species were not recorded during all seasons at all sites, however. Presence or absence of a particular leaf-litter frog largely depended on habitat preferences, underlining the suitability of these species as indicators for habitat changes.